Science Common Sense

1559 - What are the three main types of plate boundaries?

There are three main types of plate boundaries.

1. Divergent boundary: This is where two plates move apart from each other. As they move apart, magma comes up from the Earth and cools, creating new land. Examples can be found at mid-ocean ridges.

2. Convergent boundary: This is where two plates move towards each other. They can either collide (like India and Eurasia) and create mountains, or one plate goes under the other (like the ocean floor being pushed under a continent).

3. Transform boundary: This is where two plates slide past each other without creating or destroying land. An example is the San Andreas Fault in California.